The Stacking Benjamins Show

How do you not only survive the holiday season but thrive during it? Today our roundtable team rolls out their very best holiday survival ideas. We'll talk shopping to family to mindset and fun...plus maybe sprinkle in a laugh or two. Calling in today is Paula Pant from the Afford Anything podcast, plus Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com, and who can forget OG from our very own show! Plus, at the halfway mark of today's episode we'll talk about flexible spending accounts. What do YOU need to know before the year is up? Maybe a lot. Hopefully we save a few people a LOT of money because they listened to today's podcast! Helping us by calling dad's shortwave from all the way over in Europe, we'll welcome back Suzanne Lucas, aka the Evil HR Lady from evilhrlady.org. And during our Magnify Money call we'll hear from our good friend Santa and he gives us his tip for not getting so tipsy this time around the world on his sleigh. As always, of course we'll quiz our contributors with an epic gameshow question by our neighbor, Doug. All that and more on today's show! Hope you can join the fun! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's the time of year when you're talking to more people AND making more impressions than any other time of year. How do you put your best foot forward and make your best impression? How do you tell that story that makes everyone laugh and wish they were you? How do you endure the party if you're an introvert? We'll cover ALL of those scenarios and more with master communicator Carmine Gallo on today's podcast. Plus, what if you could lower your fees by HALF? we'll discuss why that might not be the offer you think it is AND deliver some better financial advice...plus we'll throw out the Haven Life line and save time for Doug's amazing trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Whether for holidays, office events, or social get-togethers, December feels like the official month of parties. If you've ever thought about hosting your own event, whether this month or any other, you can feel the need to break the bank so that your guests feel special. But what if you could host a better event without emptying your wallet? That's why today we're thrilled to help you create your best event with the help of an extra special guest: celebrity party planner David Tutera. We'll talk invitations, decorations, food, activities and games, plus parting gifts and LOTS more. You'll feel better prepared to be a great host after today's show! Plus, during our headlines, Fidelity Investments is out with their look at 2020. What are savers hoping for in the New Year? We'll help you jump start your New Year's Resolutions with the help of Maura Cassidy, Vice President of Retirement & Small Business at Fidelity Investments about the takeaways. You may be surprised by some of this year's findings AND some of the takeaways. Also, we'll cover a piece from Barron's about the impending stock market downturn. Should you begin making adjustments for the big drop that might be just around the corner? Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Mark, who only keeps one month of his emergency savings liquid. The other five months of savings are in a 15 month CD with his bank. Is he making a mistake if a "real" emergency were to come up? Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia, too! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there advice you wish you'd had when you started investing? Wish you could go back in time and tell yourself to do something differently? With the end of the year almost upon us, we thought this would be the perfect time to reflect on lessons learned... and hopefully help out some new investors so they won't make the same mistakes we did. Experienced investor or not, we'll share some great advice during today's roundtable discussion among seasoned investors. Calling in today for our roundtable is our good basement friend, Ryan Inman of the Financial Residency podcast, plus Paula Pant from the Afford Anything podcast, and OG from our very own show! Plus, at the halfway mark, we'll take a break to learn about Titan, an online app and website that helps people invest like a hedge fund. We'll learn all about it from co-founder Clayton Gardner. Looking for some good investment help? We'll explore what Clayton and Titan are doing to help investors get a bigger bang for their dollar. During our Magnify Money call we'll answer a voicemail from Tyler, who will be graduating from college debt-free. How should Tyler capitalize on his opportunity? Tyler knows about investing through work and having a proper emergency fund, but what else should he do? Is he missing out on something? As always, we'll quiz our contributors with a post-FinTech gameshow question by Doug. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What lessons can you learn from an entrepreneur in technology who was hired just after the turn of the century to lead one of the biggest exchanges on earth? A ton, it turns out. We talk to Former NASDAQ CEO Robert Greifeld about making tough choices, developing leaders, listening, debating, and more. He'll also share stories about his interactions with CEOs like Bill Gates, Howard Schultz, and Jeff Bezos, and his view of the 2007-2008 financial crisis from his front row seat. You'll learn a ton from today's show whether you lead a company, department, club, or your family. Plus, during our headline segment, wealth advisors give clients high marks for understanding some tax rules and for saving money. However, there are some glaring weaknesses they see among clients. Do you have the same weaknesses? We'll explain what worries financial advisors and how to correct course. In our second headline we'll wave the warning flag on an IRS rule that many people violate, and regret later. We'll show you HOW to avoid getting hit with penalties and help you smooth the road for your retirement at the same time. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Mark, who not only tries to avoid giving us his tee-shirt size on air (and nearly fails), but also wonders if it's a good idea to lock much of his emergency fund in a high-interest paying but long-term CD. ...and of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Visit any online forum and you'll find someone complaining about their health insurance costs. While lots of people complain, our guest today says that the answer may have nothing to do with all of the political rhetoric around the topic. Scott Heiser visits the basement to teach you how to become a better "health" consumer. Changing the healthcare system is one thing, but making proper, well-informed choices about your personal health is another (and one that we can all handle--and also use to bring down the cost of your care). We'll discuss everything from comparison shopping your professionals, insurance options, medical tourism, HSAs, and lots, lots more. Plus, during our headline segment, there's huge news in the financial brokerage space. Charles Schwab is buying TD Ameritrade! With Schwab acquiring another 12 million client accounts, and over a trillion dollars in assets, what's this mean for the bigger financial landscape? Could more mergers be on the horizon? We'll tackle the big questions before we scale it back down during our second headline. One gamer spent over a million dollars on a video game character only to have a friend sell it for $643. Sounds crazy? We thought so too. Later we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to John, who's looking for some pointers on how much he should be contributing at work. Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wondering if there are any good games you can play about money or economics? Long time Stacking Benjamins fans know we have one non-financial event that gets us just as excited (if not more) than any other event all year: our annual board game episode! Today we'll fly with Joe to Dallas, Texas, and the BoardGameGeek.con convention, where he catches up with the star of the YouTube show Game Night!, Lincoln Damhurst. They'll not only talk about a whole host of cool games about money and company-building, but they'll also dive into some light, fun games that you can play with the family over the holidays. Before you waste money on a game that nobody will like, check out this episode and make a better buying decision. Plus, replacing our usual Fintech segment (is it boardtech now?), we're talking to co-creator of a new site called FindYourMeeple.com. Jeremiah Cole-Kelly will walk us through how this new tool can help you find a cheap evening's entertainment (and even a weekend's worth, when it comes to game conventions). Looking for people in your area who love to play board games just as much as you do? Jermiah's site just may be the solution to your problems. Of course, financial show or not, we'll always save some time for Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are the hottest deals in tech this holiday season? What should you avoid? Back for her annual visit to the basement, Bridget Carey from CNET shares the highs and the lows this year. There are LOTS of deals you'll want to avoid, and she'll name names. But don't worry, if you're thinking about televisions, computers, game consoles, kitchen gadgets, audio equipment, or security, we've got you covered! Worried about the financial tasks you need to accomplish before year-end? Maybe you should be. Today we'll also share a laundry list of important items you'll want to check off your list before the new decade begins in just over a month. Plus, we'll also share some advice about gift giving. Since we're diving into shopping season, how do you give a gift that won't be returned? After a little dose of Doug's trivia, we'll wind up the show by throwing out the Haven Life line, as always. It's just another fantastic, money-saving episode of Stacking Benjamins on tap! Enjoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Plus, if you're an investor, the game just might be changing. In our headline segment, we'll share news about three big firms who just received the green light to hide holdings inside their ETFs. What does that mean? We'll share why that may be a big win for active managers, and maybe also for you. Plus we'll cover a second piece from MarketWatch about shopping for yourself. People already spend surprising amounts of cash on themselves each holiday season, but by doing it the right way, you'll be further ahead by maybe partaking in a little selfish gift-giving yourself. Later, we'll throw out the Haven Life Line to Julien, who has been reading about income taxes going on. He'd like to know if there's any truth to that claim, and if so, how should he be balancing contributions between his Roth and Traditional 401ks? Of course, we'll save some time for Doug's trivia. It's the start of our Thanksgiving week extravaganza of shows, and we can't wait for you to hear it, so jump in! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Think you're underpaid? You aren't alone. Are you even sure how much you should be earning in your position? On today's roundtable we'll discuss one piece examining all the ways you can mess up the driver of all of your financial activity: your salary. Whether you work for "the man" or for yourself, we'll have something for you. Helping us out today is special guest and Stacking Benjamins friend Katie Brewer, from Your Richest Life, Len Penzo from LenPenzo.com, and OG from our very own podcast. Plus, halfway through the show, we'll take a break from our discussion while Joe sits down for another chat with Angelo Poli from Metpro. It's not exactly Fintech, but keeping a mind on health tech will keep you healthy through the holidays... which keeps money in your pocket. During our Magnify Money segment we'll answer a voicemail from Jordan. Jordan and his wife are doing great in their savings and investments, and would like some advice on the best way to tackle asset allocation. As always, we'll carve out some time for a little gameshow with Doug's trivia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices